Day 30 - Part 2 Living Life to the Full How does One Live Life Well?

How does one live life Well? That is a very good question, for isn’t that what everyone ultimately wants to do, reach the end of their days knowing and even celebrating their life lived well?

In order to do that, we need to see life as clothes that we wear. Firstly, we need to discover which clothes bring out the best in us and which do not. We can choose to wear drab clothes whose colours clash with our skin tones, but why do that, unless we believe deep down that life wants us drab and dreary.

If that is what we believe then we don’t really understand life’s heart very well. Look at the lilies in the fields and how they are dressed. Look at the wildflowers that spring up everywhere, full of beauty and colour. Look at the kingfisher. Watch a sunrise or a sunset.

Life doesn’t do drab. It does brilliance and colour and magnificence. So, if you still feel you must be drab, spend some time getting to know life better in order to give yourself permission to step out of that drabness and into something much more like you.

You may be one who loves to be fashionable and only wear what everyone else is wearing this season. But what if that really isn’t you? Will you wear what others think is trendy or will you dare to be different and choose clothes you are drawn to, not caring if putting them on gets gasps from others. You never know, by daring to be different, you might be encouraging others to dare to step out of what everyone else thinks and feels and says and gain permission to think and speak differently.

Finally, recognise that fashions change. What’s in today will be out tomorrow, which means you constantly have to be changing who you are and how you live in order to fit in with others. That can be tiring and even exhausting.

Remember, when we came into the world, we were naked and God loved us as we were. He never planned for us to have to wear clothes, that only came later to hide over our shame. God sees us not through the eyes of shame but the eyes of love. He wants us to be ourselves and all the time we’re trying to fit into clothes that aren’t the right size or colour or fit, we are deep down trying to cover over some part of ourselves that we don’t want others to see.

Life encourages us to dare to be ourselves and to choose a wardrobe that expresses who we are and who God created us to be. Maybe one day we will be brave enough to accept our nakedness once more. But for now, life knows we need to find and express our gift to her and the world through finding a wardrobe that best expresses this.

Don’t be afraid to choose clothes of life that you enjoy wearing. Dare to be different. Dare to go against the flow of the acceptable and tolerated. Dare to wear bright red when everyone else feels they have to wear brown. Be who God created you to be and live your life, the one he has given you, to the full.

"Consider the lilies of the field and how they are clothed. Even Solomon in all his glory wasn't dressed like one of these."

What colour clothes do you wear most of the time? Are they colours that stand out or blend in?

What colour have you always wanted to wear but haven’t dared to? Why is that?

What can you do to help yourself live life more fully? What item of new clothing could you add to your wardrobe? What item could you now get rid of?